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Woman Sues Over In-Flight Tantrum

Screaming 3-year-olds on a plane! No one likes a fussy kid when you’re stuck on a flight but should you be able to sue over it? A 67-year-old American woman who was on a Qantas flight as part of her Australian vacation sued the airline over a run-in with a vocal three-year-old, who allegedly yelled in her ear, causing bleeding and deafness. Her lawyer argues Qantas is at fault because the plane's crew failed "to take all the necessary precautions to prevent the accident.” Qantas claims the child was well-behaved in the terminal and up until the incident, on the flight. We’re not sure what kind of precautions they could have taken, other than not allow any preschoolers – an age known for rollercoaster mood swings – to board at all.

Screaming 3-year-olds on a plane! No one likes a fussy kid when you’re stuck on a flight but should you be able to sue over it? A 67-year-old American woman who was on a Qantas flight as part of her Australian vacation sued the airline over a run-in with a vocal three-year-old, who allegedly yelled in her ear, causing bleeding and deafness. Her lawyer argues Qantas is at fault because the plane's crew failed "to take all the necessary precautions to prevent the accident.” Qantas claims the child was well-behaved in the terminal and up until the incident, on the flight. We’re not sure what kind of precautions they could have taken, other than not allow any preschoolers – an age known for rollercoaster mood swings – to board at all.

More interesting details: it’s come out that the woman was wearing hearing aids, suggesting she already had hearing issues. And listen to the e-mail she sent the day after the incident:

"I guess we are simply fortunate that my eardrum was exploding and I was swallowing blood. Had it not been for that, I would have dragged that kid out of his mother's arms and stomped him to death.”

Whoa. That 3-year-old will grow out of his tantrums but sounds like her nasty streak is permanent. Even so, Qantas has settled the case for an undisclosed amount.

What do you think: should the airline be held responsible? Should the parents?